It is a difficult balancing act, to live a vegan life and make all the decisions associated with it while still allowing yourself to 'live'. I am not speaking about food alone, for it seems that may be the easiest part of the equation, at least for most of us. We can read labels, see ingredients, and know whether our food has animal ingredients or by-products in it's makeup. It then becomes an act of choosing your favorites from among a number of brands, to search for the most nutrition dense options, and the purest offerings. We want to consume the freshest and most local ingredients when possible, and we can "vet" the companies that produce our foods to decide whether we like their overall vision and method of production. We can eliminate some brands based on their politics, or ethical means, and so on. Food is often what people think of when they hear the term vegan, and so it is often the most simple change we can make in our new compassionate lifestyle.
There are as many reasons to become vegan as there are vegans, and I really believe this is true. While many of the most vocal, historically, have been 'compassion' based vegans, new studies about the health benefits of living vegan have seen a shifting consciousness and many are eschewing animals in their diet for medical benefits. These new 'health' vegans may not extend their lifestyle to all areas of life, at least not initially, and that is just fine.
It is a steep learning curve, and this is why -- we are historically tied to animals in almost every aspect of our existence. Here is a list of areas that newer vegans might not have linked to animal use, and some that those that follow a vegan diet alone may not have even considered.
Personal Care Products
When you brush your teeth each morning and before bed, do you know what is in your toothpaste? Is it filled with chemicals you can't even pronounce, let alone determine their origins? Most dental care products are not vegan friendly, let alone natural, but does this really constitute a issue for all vegans? Should we toss our stash of products immediately, or use what we have and gradually replace them with natural and vegan friendly options. It can be quite a dilemma. Do we want to waste our hard earned dollars, add these chemicals instead to some land-fill trash pile, or do we use them, and allow them to wash down the drain into our water system, affecting the purity of our lakes and rivers.
It is a true vegan dilemma. I have leaned toward purchasing new and more environmentally friendly products, but it seems so wasteful on some level. The same can be said for skin care products, cosmetics, feminine care products, and paper goods. among other items in the bathroom. Women often have decades of makeup and perfume, in pretty packaging, all on display by the sink. Do you suddenly give up all your favorite products and begin the search anew for vegan counterparts? Well, I think if you are living as a dietary vegan, you may opt out of this question out of the sheer challenge of it. But those who are living vegan because of a newly awakened sense of compassion and kindness for animals may feel that they cannot have their 'old' animal tested or animal product based cosmetics in their presence anymore. And don't forget your cosmetic brushes, applicators, and sponges, they matter too.
It is a sort of karmic balancing act, and it is very personal. If you see protecting the environment as part of your non-species preferential lifestyle, then it is sort of essential that you reduce your carbon footprint, reduce the amount of chemicals you flush into your water systems, and eliminate any items that have historically, or continue to, involve animal testing in their production. But make no mistake, it can be an expensive undertaking.
Vegan and ethically produced natural products have a tiny market share among consumers, something we can only hope to change with our own dollars speaking for us. This smaller share means higher prices, often produced by hand or in small batches, with greater labor costs, and less shelf space in most regular stores. We may have to roam the internet for specific items, determine local vendors, or order them via mail order catalogs. A natural product, without preservatives, may not have the same shelf life, and likely won't stand for much sitting around, you need to use it within a smaller window of time, and it may need to be replaced more often.
Can you afford to make all these changes, or perhaps it is better to ask, can you afford not to? Companies like LUSH, are just one of the many who are offering mostly vegan goodies for all ages and skin types, from soaps and fragrances, to cosmetics and hair colorings, they have something for everyone. In addition, check out your local Etsy vendors, there are many making vegan cosmetics, soaps, and shampoos in small batches at home, that are good and cost effective choices. There are several blogs dedicated to reviewing vegan cosmetics, like the Vegan Beauty Review, that can give you heaps of options and reviews.
Cleaning Products and Detergents
Similar to cosmetics and personal care products, chemical cleansers for everything from dish soap to laundry detergent, are often full of animal byproducts and chemical compounds that can be harsh on the body, the water system, and the environment as a whole. However, unlike personal care products, there are often many preexisting home recipes for cleaning that are mild on the home and the environment, and can be made in your own kitchen. Where women and men have flocked to cosmetics, embracing the 'Hollywood' look, and the advertising that appealed to our vanity and societal norms, the home is still a place where you can 'cheat' and use old tried and true recipes.
Why the difference, well, chemical based cosmetics are historically a relatively new industry. While women have always used products to make themselves more appealing, think of Cleopatra for instance, they have usually used natural items that were available to only those who had the luxury of dedicating time to their appearance. Kohl, henna, and berry stains are some examples. Chemical heavy compounds made for the every-woman, and man for that matter, have evolved only in the last century or two. However, cleaning products made from vinegar, lemon, baking soda, and other plant derivatives and natural animal fats and waxes, have been an ever evolving home science and economical pursuit for a greater segment of the population historically, and have never gone out of vogue.
There have been so many books, television shows, and word-of-mouth movements sharing these 'handy hints', that they have never been forgotten. While we may buy into the advertising and ad campaigns of the billion dollar chemical companies that give us a dozen different scented concentrated laundry detergents, we have managed to keep the cottage industry of natural products alive along side it. This is certainly a less expensive option in a vegan lifestyle, but not always to most convenient for a modern one. The fact that we can use watered down vinegar and old recycled newspapers to clean windows better than a bottle of chemical Windex and a roll of bleached paper-towel, is not a difficult or expensive switch to make.
What it comes down to often is a matter of time, and convenience. Try to separate a new mother from a bottle of baby friendly laundry detergent and you may lose an eye. I am kidding, of course, but it is hard to give up a time-saving and nice smelling option for hand-scrubbing cloth diapers for hours, when you have a screaming hungry infant to wrangle. This is an extreme example, but one that illustrates all the challenges a vegan has to consider when making a whole life-scope change to kinder, natural, vegan options. It can be done, and there are many new store brands that are vegan friendly detergents that satisfy both the convenience and modern lifestyle issues, at a financial cost of course. Here is a starter list of ideas for Cleaning House the Vegan Way.
Clothing and Shoes
What you wear is perhaps an obvious choice to most, I mean, leather is animal hide, you don't wear it if you are a compassionate vegan. But is it that simple? I suggest it really isn't simple at all. If you are vegan eater, you have chosen to eliminate animal products from your diet. But there are so many industry secrets in the productions of clothing and shoes, that many people don't realize how complicated the choices can be. We can eliminate leather and fur quite easily, but are there other hidden ingredients that are animal based, that involve cruelty in their production, and what about petroleum based options, are they any better for the environment, do they not pollute the environment and therefore do significant harm as as well. Are all synthetic fabrics "kind", or are there some that are better than others.
Where do you draw your line, and there is no other way to express it, you need to really have your own 'line in the sand' on this one. You may have a closet full of clothes, store bought or hand-made, that no longer fit your vegan world view. We can eliminate silk, made by silk worms, and we can eliminate wool, which comes from sheep and other animals, including alpacas. But do sheep really suffer in the production of wool, some obviously do, but some, those raised on small homestead farms in Scotland or Ireland, and treated well, allowed to roam and feed freely, and only sheered seasonally for their own comfort, their wool a historically valued commodity -- do they suffer simply by being sheered by the gentle hands of a farmer who cares for his flock as if it were an extension of himself? That is a less quantifiable "suffering", some may say it is not suffering at all.
Even if you abstain from wool, silk, and leather, and choose only plant based textiles, the dyes and chemicals used to fix those dyes, as well as the treatments, such as the use of wax to waterproof the fabric, may include animal products, and yes, even bees wax is off the list of options for most vegans. So you really have to do your homework here, and there may be no way of telling in the end, if you have done yourself a service by replacing your entire wardrobe, or wearing your existing wardrobe till it needs replacement, using the textiles that are no longer wearable for cleaning or up-cycling into other items of use.
Certainly recycling and shopping in second hand stores will have an positive karmic effect, as well as a nicer environmental impact. Up-cycling old and torn items into new and usable items is in itself a very vegan friendly concept, and a very crafty one too, perhaps even a profitable one as you pass it along a vertical use path, as opposed to down into trash and burn options.
Be aware that even buying a non-leather pair of shoes is not itself a vegan option. Glues and coatings may include animal products obtained through the same factory farming plants that most vegans are fighting to eliminate. The dyes on a cotton garment may include animal products, either in the dye itself, or in the fixing stage. While a garment made of hemp based textile may seem like a no-brainer, what about the thread used to sew it together, does it contain silk (which is a 'natural' product, just not an ethical one)? Natural does not mean animal free, so shop smart, look for the term vegan, and don't assume anything if you are shopping by textile alone.
It is just as easy to print a pro-vegan slogan on a non-animal friendly t-shirt, as it is to print it on a 100% vegan one, and is the 'printing' itself vegan friendly. A lot to consider, and really, a very individual decision. I may be comfortable buying a vintage handbag made of vinyl, while someone else may feel that a ethically raised wool fabric handbag is more 'natural' and vegan. Try checking out Moo Shoes, one of my favorites in online or in person (from NYC), or VShoen in Canada. Hemp clothing producer Nomads Hemp Wear makes some really cute fashions for the men, women, and children.
Medications and Vaccinations
While we may find the pharmacy shelves stocked with natural dietary supplements, not all are created equal. Gelatin, used in making capsules, and waxes used on tablets, are not always vegan friendly. Be sure you are buying 100% vegan products, and look at the packaging too, make sure it is at least recyclable, if not made from a recycled products already.
If your doctor prescribes a medication for you, then as a nurse, I believe that after doing your research, with your doctor and alone, you may be best to take it. Sometimes, frankly most times, antibiotics are misused to treat the common cold, which is a viral infection, not a bacterial one, and therefore not susceptible to the actions of antibiotics. Once a bacterial infection is detected, and found to be sensitive to a certain antibiotic, then (and only then) will it be effective in treating it. If it a life threatening condition, you may have to start antibiotics before the cultures come back, and then adjust if you are on the wrong one, but this is done in a hospital setting, not something you can do at home once you start a full course of treatment for a non-life threatening illness. Most people don't know that a bad cold may last longer than 3 weeks in a healthy adult, and that it is not unusual for it to last even longer than that. Many time treating the symptoms of the cold can prolong it's course. If you are coughing and have a runny nose, there is a reason. You are trying to get something out of your system. If you suppress a cough, you are keeping the yucky stuff in your lungs longer, and making the illness last longer as a result.
If it is an issue that diet changes and weight loss, or gain, can't fix immediately, then medication is perhaps the only option in the near term. You need to live long enough to make those positive changes so that your body can balance itself. Sometimes taking the insulin you need while you lose weight to try to remedy Type II Diabetes, is your best and only move.
We know that almost all, if not all, medications go through animal and human testing prior to approval, and many may include animal byproducts, like natural insulin and hormones, although there are synthetic options too. How far you take your vegan-ism, with respect to your own life, is also a very personal choice. But has a far more direct impact than a pair of shoes or a lipstick. Be educated, try to find ways to heal your body and get off the medications you wish you didn't have to take, but don't throw them away without seeking out medical advice.
As for vaccinations, that is a far more important issue. There have been many movements of late suggesting a link between certain health problems, most notably Autism, and the use of certain vaccinations in children. But the causative link is just not there, and more studies are leaning towards other causes for the spike in rates of Autism in recent decades. Vaccinations, not only animal tested, but often containing animal based ingredients, have saved more lives and have eliminated some of the most heinous illnesses known to man. Polio is perhaps the best example of an effective vaccination. Small Pox is another, and while it may not have been eradicated, as many had believed, it is once again being beaten back into extinction with renewed efforts. If we stop vaccinating out children, we will be responsible for allowing this and other deadly diseases to steal our children from us, or cripple and injure them for life.
For parents, this is a personal issue, and one you need to make a priority, by doing your own research and making the best choices for your child(ren). Don't fall victim to the campaigns linking one illness to one vaccination, they are not always based on science or fact, and are merely anecdotal in other cases. Find a physician, or nurse practitioner, that you feel comfortable with and ask all the hard questions, and don't be afraid, you deserve those answers and so do your children.
When it comes to the annual vaccinations, like the "Flu Shot", these are more open to personal scrutiny and choice. Many are produced with the use of a chicken-egg based medium to grow the anti-viral basis for the shots. That is an obvious and very well known fact, so you may choose to avoid this shot on the basis of being a vegan. However, there are newer and more deadly strains of flu in the offing, and the recent swine-flu epidemic is a perfect example. The latest flu strains are largely evolving from animals, animals that are kept in inhumane and unsanitary conditions, those who ill and then used ground up in feed, fed to more animals still. They evolve in a antibiotic rich environment, like the giant agribusiness farms that house thousands of tightly packed animals prior to slaughter, and dose those animals with heaps of antibiotics to treat the rampant bacterial illnesses that have evolved from this cruel and inhumane method of farming and housing animals for food production.
I think we must take the flu-shots as they exist, until there is an alternate method of production that no longer requires animal byproduct mediums, or no longer requires hundreds of thousands of eggs each year to produce them. The technology is not far off. What is also not far off is a deadly strain of bacterial influenza that may kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people, and may have arisen from the very food production methods that vegans are so against. It is the treatment, or lack of treatment, of animals that will be the cause of the next super-bug, and SARS was just a drop in the bucket compared to what most experts fear is next. The verdict is obvious, take your flu shots, do what you can to stay as healthy and well as you can, and fight the systems that exist in which the next deadly virus is likely to evolve. Swine, bird, or bovine, the animals will be the seat of the next strain of antibiotic resistant influenza, what we must do is change the conditions these animals are living in in order to stop it before it starts. This is eminently in the scope of all vegan's interests, both those who are dietary vegans, and those who are choosing vegan-ism from a place of compassion for animals, and all points in between.
What Next?
These are just a few of the areas in which the vegan question becomes muddied and murky for some, and even non-vegans have reason to invest their time and efforts. If you are living on this planet, you share in the responsibility to care for it, and will reap the benefits of any strides made to improve it's health, and it's complicated and fragile ecosystem. Even if you eat meat on occasion, enjoy milk products and eggs, you can still admit that you want the healthiest meat and animal products you can but into your body or feed your family.
Would you rather feed yourself, or your children a chicken breast from a bird that is force fed and kept in a box with 5 other chickens, unable to move their wings or even rest. One that is pumped full of antibiotics and then is butchered on a fast moving assembly line with hundreds of other chickens by the hour, by unskilled hands, and even with washing, are often covered in fecal material? Or one from a healthy and natural organically raised source, one that is butchered slowly and with care to prevent contamination, one where there are educated and experienced eyes and hands on the knives that make those precise cuts and kills with a minimum of cruelty and waste. I think even those who think non-meat eaters are crazy "hippies", would choose the latter, and the fact is, they can. It may not be my choice, since I choose "none of the above", but it is a choice that can be made. You may not find it in huge volumes, or at the same bargain basement prices, but who want to eat from the basement anyways. The more often the choice for better food made, the more likely it is that it will be available, and the factory-farm meat producers will have no choice but to make the change or face extinction.
In a future post, I will be covering issues like alcohol, furniture, transportation, home goods, and travel. All have challenges and considerations for the vegan lifestyle, and there are so many things to consider. Please leave your comments, let me know what else has been a challenge or a surprise for you as a vegan, or even a vegetarian, and what surprising facts you have learned in your journey.
